Nothing Quite Like It
by Veronique Roux
Summary: Optimus sees Mikaela and Ratchet together in the rec room, leading him to think about the close bond between the CMO and his charge. ONESHOT.


So, I'm just gonna start out by saying that this is a father/daughter fic, not romantic. Same universe as my story, someday. its also a kind of short, I noticed that. reviews are very appreciated!

_thoughts/memories_

enjoy!

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><p>Optimus cycled air through his vents, wondering when that Mearing slagger would leave them alone. She was the fragging definition of ignorance... He shook his head, turning his thoughts to other things.<p>

He paused in his step, then turned to the right, having decided to go to the rec room for an energon shot. He turned another corner, then another, before entering the large ware-house like building.

There was a _very_ over-sized couch facing a large TV, which was on at the moment, and he could see the the top of Ratchet's head. He stopped for a moment, thinking it strange, because the CMO _he_ knew spent nearly every waking moment in his med bay.

"Ratchet?", he called out. Upon receiving no reply, he walked around the side of the couch to make sure his old friend was alright.

Ratchet had fallen into what was most likely an unscheduled recharge, optics fully offlined, helm tilted slightly downward. A slight smirk threatened to form on Optimus's lip components, thinking of the many times that he, among others, had told Ratchet to recharge more often.

That still, however, did not answer his question as to why Ratchet would be alone in the rec room, when he so rarely left his own med bay. Optimus shrugged, starting to walk around the couch, when he saw something that answered his queries.

Mikaela Banes, Ratchet's charge and student, was asleep in a small crevice in Ratchet's armor between the base of his neck and his shoulder, her head resting slightly against Ratchet's. Optimus smiled slightly at the image, and crept quietly into the kitchen, as he was not sure how easily humans were woken from 'sleep'. He wondered briefly if it was anything like recharging, but shrugged it off.

Optimus headed back to his quarters, deep in thought.

At first, Ratchet had been very surly when it came to Mikaela. He only allowed her into his med bay because he was her guardian, and he was unhappy with it altogether. Optimus hadn't been too worried; Ratchet is unhappy with everything at first. He'd only feared that Mikaela would begin to dislike the mech.

However, Optimus soon had found that he underestimated the girl, because the fact that Ratchet didn't like her much only made her more determined to make it the opposite. She pretty much began to evenly divide her time into a three sections, her 'boyfriend' at the time, which was Sam, her male creator, and Ratchet.

She and Sam grew apart, and eventually 'broke up', which Optimus didn't truly understand, but _Ratchet _explained that part of human culture to him. Which was odd, because normally, Ratchet knew a slagging lot about human and Autobot anatomy alike, but next to nothing about human culture. Optimus was relatively sure that it was Mikaela who'd explained it to her guardian.

Not too long after that, Ratchet had mentioned on more than one occasion about something being wrong with Mikaela, as he'd noticed that she her recharging, refueling, and interactive patterns were differing drastically from normal state. A little over an orbital cycle later, Lennox had come to him, saying that Mikaela was working in some place called a 'strip club', and that he'd cleared it with General Morshower, and asked him to ask Mikaela to come live on base, because she appeared to be living in some sort of temporary housing industry called a 'hotel'. (upon further investigation, Optimus discovered the mysterious 'strip club' was a club where women remove their clothes for the entertainment of men).

He'd been relatively sure that Ratchet did care at that point, but he had his suspicions confirmed when he had, one day, wandered past the med bay, and heard a brief conversation between the medic and his charge.

_"But...If the cooling systems base function is supported by the coolant, shouldn't the lines come from here, through here?" Mikaela was saying.  
><em>

_"Yes, and they do. I was attempting to confuse you."_

_There was a smile in her voice. "I think that's the first time I ever didn't fall for it."_

_Ratchet's tone was probably the gentlest he'd ever heard it. "I believe it is."_

_"So, he's good to go?"_

_"As soon as he comes back out of recharge, yes."_

_"You should probably go recharge yourself. I can clean this up."_

_The medic didn't answer straight away. After a moment or two, he replied,"You're one to talk."_

_"What?"_

_"Well, you haven't slept in nearly twenty-four hours. And you haven't refueled in just as long."_

_"Oh, be seri-"_

_"We've been working in him-" Ratchet paused, probably gesturing to whoever was on the examination table,"-for about that long, and you haven't left, and beyond that, I say this based off of my scans, and I doubt they are mistaken."_

_"Well, I'm not really...tired." She paused as she yawned._

_"Of course."_

_"Okay, maybe I am, but I can still work. And you haven't recharged in longer than it's been since I last slept."_

_"But I can run for longer without recharge than you can without sleep."_

_"It doesn't mean it's a good idea."_

_"But I can function."_

_"So can I."_

_There was a long silence that probably contained a fierce staring contest, and finally, Ratchet cycled air through his vents and responded,"Fine. We both can do it. Happy?"_

_"Enough."_

Optimus had truly been shocked by this. He'd never, in all the millions of years that Ratchet had been the medic on his team, had he seen the medic give in like that to _anyone._ Anyone, at all.

To the day, he'd still never seen him give in to anyone but Mikaela Banes.

Optimus had listened to the medic rant when he'd discovered that her male creator was deceased about how she should have said something. He watched them get ever closer.

Over the past year and a half, Ratchet had nearly assumed that same position, from the way he cared for her. Not even Ironhide was as close, and the two mechs were incredibly close friends.

It was good for the medic to have someone like that in his life again. Someone to keep him in check, make sure he took care of himself. The CMO _was_ notorious for taking excellent care of others, and neglecting himself. But Optimus was certain that this young human femme would put a stop to that, as long as she was around.

The two had what some might call a strange sort of relationship, but those would be the ignorant (like slagging Mearing), because it was exactly what the both of them needed. And there was _nothing_ quite like it.


End file.
